Quinnipiac feels 'bad blood' with Yale with ECAC quarterfinal looming

Updated 12:08 am, Friday, March 14, 2014

Jeremy Langlois has a 'compete' level that has helped drive Quinnipiac to the No. 1 ranking this season.

Jeremy Langlois has a 'compete' level that has helped drive Quinnipiac to the No. 1 ranking this season.

Photo: Contributed Photo

Quinnipiac feels 'bad blood' with Yale with ECAC quarterfinal looming

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HAMDEN -- They say that time heals all wounds, but it's not true. Just ask any member of the Quinnipiac hockey team, they'll tell you.

Almost a year has passed since the Bobcats were stunned in the NCAA Frozen Four title game -- losing 4-0 to archrival Yale, no less -- leaving a giant, empty hole where a national championship trophy should have gone. And as Quinnipiac prepares to face the Bulldogs tonight at 7 in an ECAC quarterfinal best-of-3 series at the TD Bank Sports Center, the pain of that loss still hasn't gone away.

"I don't think I'll forget that game as long as I live," said Bobcats senior defenseman Zach Tolkinen. "You get that close ... it is something that stays with you and it's something that we'd like to have back."

Quinnipiac had spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the country and had a Hobey Baker finalist in goaltender Eric Hartzell in the nets. However, despite two regular-season wins and an ECAC consolation game victory over Yale, Quinnipiac never found its rhythm in the championship game as Bulldogs goalie Jeff Malcolm blanked the Bobcats.

"They ended our season last year. And it's in the backs of all of our minds," said Bobcats senior forward Connor Jones. "Obviously, the way last year ended, we wanted another chance at them. Whoever we were going to play, we were going to get up for, but it just so happens that it's going to be them."

Added senior forward Cory Hibbeler: "We're excited just to be playing playoff hockey, but obviously there's some bad blood between us and them. We obviously know we can't take anything for granted against Yale, they're a good team, and who doesn't want to play the defending national champs in a playoff series?"

Bad blood? Really? It's not just an intense rivalry?

"It is (intense)," Hibbeler continued. "The games are always fun to play against them. We respect them and I know that they respect us ... at least I hope they do.

"We're definitely taking this weekend seriously. We take every game seriously but because it's Yale and what happened last year, we definitely have something to prove."

This season, Quinnipiac and Yale skated to a 3-3 overtime tie back in November at the TD Bank Sports Center. On Feb. 7, the Bobcats, behind 33 saves from sophomore goaltender Michael Garteig, shut out the Bulldogs 4-0 at Ingalls Rink. A win of the weekend ECAC series by Quinnipiac (22-8-6) could eliminate Yale (17-9-5) from NCAA consideration.

This will be the 20th meeting between the two programs dating to 2005-06, when Quinnipiac joined the ECAC. The Bobcats hold a 4-1-1 advantage over the last two seasons and 10-6-3 overall.

"It's unusual that we've never played Yale in the nine years we've been in the playoffs," Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said. "Right now, we just want to win hockey games so we can keep playing and keep moving forward."